On Road Durability and Field Experience Obtained with an Aluminum Titanate Diesel Particulate Filter

A novel diesel particulate filter for passenger car applications was introduced by Corning, based on a stabilized aluminum titanate composition. As part of the development and material evaluation Corning has performed extensive on-road testing of the new material. The testing included several vehicles, filters, system layouts and driving profiles. The filters were tested from 100,000 km to 240,000km. All test vehicles were equipped with instrumentation and data acquisition hardware, enabling the detailed recording of the relevant parameters such as temperature profiles inside the filter, the pressure drop as well as engine data. Throughout the field evaluations the filters were regularly checked for emissions over the NEDC on a chassis dynamometer according to the current European test protocol. In all cases excellent emission performance has been observed over the duration of the tests. The pressure drop performance has generally been good. After the on-road testing all filters have been analyzed following a detailed protocol. No negative material changes or changes in the thermo-mechanical properties have been observed. Some information about the accumulation of ash has been obtained through CT scans. Details of the tests and the results obtained are discussed in this manuscript.